Loggia of Heraklion

The Loggia of Heraklion is a Venetian administrative building with two stories and ground-floor arcades that blend Doric and Ionic styles. Its interior contains formal chambers and meeting rooms, while the exterior shows the typical mix of Venetian architectural elements from the 1600s.

Francesco Morosini built this structure between 1626 and 1628 as the fourth and final loggia constructed at that location. It replaced three earlier buildings that had served the same administrative purpose.

The name comes from the Venetian tradition of gathering halls where merchants and officials met. Walking through today, you can see how the open design invited people to conduct business and discuss matters face to face.

The building functions as Heraklion's Town Hall today and hosts municipal council meetings and official ceremonies. Visitors can view the exterior freely and sometimes access the interior to see the public spaces and formal chambers.

The building won the First Europa Nostra Prize in 1987 as the most successfully restored European monument of that year. This recognition highlights the care taken in its restoration and how important such projects are for preserving cultural heritage.